Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1887-11-02
is DONALD GRANT KING?
Did the Californian Strowbridge
Lay More Miles of Track (On
the Square, in One Day
than the Canadians

local railroad circles by the contradietor
statements as to whether the Manitoba
entitled to the credit of having made th
biggest record in tracklaying in a singl
day. T. p. Shelby. general manager c
the Montana Central and connected wit
the Union Pacific from the beginning, say
that road 5 best record is seven miles i
one day from one end of the track. Ii
will investigate further and state definite
ly in few days. A prominent railroal
man said yesterday: s'You can conside
yourself stakeholder of 800 on my &C
count as bet that in laying over eigh
miles of track in one day from one end O
track the Manitoba has broken all preyiol
| records of railroad construction il
America. The decision will be made b,
the Rastcay Age."-Helena Indepeadent
eth.
Nearly twenty years ago, when the q
?. and c. P. had almost completed tn,
first road of iron that was to bring tn,
Pacific Coast within=a weeks Journey o
| the Estates" " a rivalry born of the dislik.
/ if not hatred the European then had fol
the Asiatic. and which time has only in
tensified, existed in the twosmall armies o1
railroad builders, The Union Pacific
was constructed almost entirely by
European labor and the Central by Asiatic
directed by oiG-tim CaIifornians. Assthe
track-laying gangs of the two roads were
nearing Promontory, on the northern
shore of Great Salt Lake, the Union
Pacific did an unprecedented piece OF
neutrality-suspicious. eight miles in one
day. The track ends of the two roads
were less than twenty miles apart, and
the Central Pacific workers, directed by
Superintendent Crocker and Chief of Con
struction Strowbridge, two men whose
superiors for untiring energy and max
ing success possible amid great difficulties
have not yet come to the front in Ameri-
can railroad building, determined to beat
the record and down the Z. P. crowd at a
time when they could not come back at
them; aud they did it, as the following,
which is authentic, will prove:
SOUTHERN PACIFIC COMPANY, OFFICE
OF CHIEF ENGINEER, SAN FRANcIsco,
July %, 1887. ,s-z- Dear Sir
The Central Pacific railroad had 10 miles
and about 1000 feet laid in one day, on
the west slope of the Promontory. noun
tains in Utah. Yours Truly,
WILLIAM HOOP, Chief Engineer.
Now, it is stated that that days work,
while spiked from one end, is not entitled
to record, as the iron was strung out
along the grade by teams before the track
laying commenced. The point raised
cannot be authoritatively settled by the
TRIBUNE's railroad man. But there is
one point on which he will gamble every
dollar he has saved from his salary in the
last six months, and that is, that the Man
itoba graded, bridged, tied, ironed and
operated more miles of continuous road
between April 15 and October Is of this
year than any other American company
has done in eighteen consecutive months.
Further, that Donald Grant can lay more
miles of iron in a year, barring nothing,
than any other man in the world.
MORE ABOUT IT.
The tracklaying discussion goes on at
lively rate. In the Helena Iaadepsndeat
there appeared lately challenge to the
following effect:
A prominent railroad man said yester-
day You can consider yourself stake
holder OF 500 on my account as bet that
in laying over eight miles of track, the
Manitoba has broken all previous records
of railroad building in America. The
decision will be made by the Rasloay
Age.
This, the Independent says eilicited the
following reply from o. P. Valby, prom
inent Marysville gentleman:
hereby accent the prominent railroad
mans bet of 800 on the Manitoba break
ing the record of tracklaying in one day,
in laying eight miles q day. claim it has
not broken the record and am willing to
abide by the decision of the Raalaoay Aae.
Enclosed please find check for 300.
The Helena paper holds the stakes and
has written to the Rasl,ray Age for de-
cision.
J. F. Thompson Of White Sulpher
Springs writes to the Iadependeat saying
that in the Pacific Tourist of 1878, editor
e. ]. Williams, page s, the fact is stated
hat the Central Pacific laid in ten hours
.en miles of rs ilroad, one end, and had 200
feet to spare" George B. Isham, civil
engineer of the Atchison, Topeka s Santa
Fe railroad, who has been in Helena late
y said:
/ believe the Manitoba railroad is enti-
led to the palm for fast track laying. Its |
BEST record. made on August 10 this year,
vas eightmiles and 1,o80 feet, accomplish
ID within the hours of daylight BY single |
'hift of men without any previous prepa-
'ation-that is, no ties were laid in adj
Fance. the greatest record on the Union
Pacific, of ten miles in one day, was made
oy distributing ties in advance, hauling
ails by wagon and working from both
'nds to close up the gap. The Manitoba
vas working only in one direction and set
les and laid rails as it advanced.